Nobody's Dog

by Colin Dann

  ‘It’s Digby,’ Frank finished simply.

  ‘Oh!’ Harriet shrieked. ‘Oh, can’t I see him? It was so awful when we had to get rid of him – Tam and I missed him so. Oh, no wonder Tam’s been acting the way he has. Please may I see him?’ Her excitement faded a little. ‘Oh – but what if Daddy finds out? He’ll be so cross.’

  ‘More than cross,’ Frank said. ‘I’ll be dismissed.’

  ‘But why?’ Harriet sounded genuinely upset.

  ‘He made it perfectly clear. No dogs.’

  ‘You shouldn’t have taken the job then,’ Harriet said. ‘That wasn’t fair. Poor Digby. How could you keep him imprisoned in the shack like that?’

  ‘He isn’t imprisoned,’ Frank assured her. ‘Whenever the coast’s clear I take him out. But it hasn’t been easy. There’s a lot I have to tell you about why I took the job and everything. I was desperate, you see, Harriet. I’d been living rough and your father’s offer was just too good to resist. And Digby wasn’t with me when I accepted it. I lost him for quite a while. Yes – it may have been wrong of me to smuggle Digby in. But for his sake as well as my own the thought of a bit of comfort and, above all, regular employment, was like a dream come true.’

  Harriet nodded. She wondered if Frank was telling the truth. Snatches of plots from television dramas raced through her mind. ‘You’re not . . . on the run, are you?’ she asked uncertainly.

  Frank chuckled. ‘No, I’m not on the run,’ he replied. ‘You’ve nothing to fear from me, Harriet. I’m not a criminal.’

  ‘Oh, blow this “Harriet” business,’ she cried. ‘I’m only called that when I’m told off. Why don’t you call me Millie like everyone else?’

  ‘Millie. All right. If you prefer it? But I still like Harriet.’ Frank looked toward the house. ‘Are you expected back? I should tell you the whole story.’

  Millie was eager to hear everything. ‘I have to change,’ she said. She was still in her school uniform. ‘I’ll come out later. And don’t worry. I won’t say a word.’

  That night Millie lay in bed, her head still buzzing with all that Frank had told her. She longed to see Digby, but she and Frank had decided that that wasn’t a good idea for the moment. Digby was sure to recognize her and where would that lead? She had promised Frank to act as a kind of sentry on his behalf; to give him a tip when she could as to when the family would all be out of the way, or to warn him to take extra care when her parents wanted to use the garden. But they both knew things couldn’t continue as they were indefinitely. And what should they do about Tam?

  ‘Digby and Tam should be together again,’ Millie had said. ‘I wish I could think of a way to talk Daddy round before he finds out our secret for himself.’

  16

  Digby found the regime at Rothesay House boring. He was left alone for long periods, and even when his master was with him he was always trying to quieten him down. Digby brightened up a bit when he detected signs of another dog in the vicinity, yet just when he wanted to investigate his master curtailed his activities even more. He caught the occasional sound of a bark from inside the house, but it was too muffled for him to interpret it. He thought about Streak a lot and wished he could be sure that the greyhound was safely back at home. Sometimes he thought about Chip, but he and Chip had never really been close companions by choice and the mongrel soon passed out of his mind again.

  Meanwhile, inside Rothesay House, Tam was in a constant fever of impatience and exasperation. Ever since he had scented Digby on Frank’s clothes he had known his brother must be nearby. Why was he, Tam, being prevented from finding him again? It was cruel. His owners were deaf to all his pleas to be released, but Tam could not stop begging, even though he knew his master’s anger was just below the surface. Then one day it broke through.

  ‘Whatever’s wrong with the stupid dog?’ James Odling cried sharply one evening. He had had a trying day and Tam’s whimpers and wails were getting on his nerves more than usual. ‘I’m fed up to the back teeth with his constant whingeing. Ever since Frank arrived he’s been behaving like a mad creature. I’m going to get to the bottom of this!’ He strode to the kitchen door where Tam was doing his best to get his nose through the crack underneath.

  ‘Margaret!’ he called to his wife. ‘Look what this crazy animal has done to the bottom of the door. He’s scraped every bit of paint off.’ He yanked Tam away. ‘Right, you barmy dog,’ he snapped, ‘if you want out you can have it.’ He wrenched the door open, whereupon Tam dashed forth with all the pent-up energy of a caged beast.

  He soon found the scent he had been so desperate to track. With mounting excitement, tail swinging, he set off towards the cabin. Odling went out to the garden. ‘Going straight to Frank – I knew it,’ he muttered, none too pleased. A couple of minutes later Tam began to bark. Digby’s trail had ended at the cabin and his brother could not only smell him but hear him inside.

  ‘Digby! Digby!’ Tam called. ‘It’s me! Tam! Come outside, won’t you? Let me see you.’

  Frank had quickly muzzled Digby before he could respond to the barks outside. His hand gripped the collie’s closed jaw and he clung on grimly, determined that no answering bark would give their secret away. ‘It’s all right, Digby,’ he whispered. ‘Keep calm. Don’t vex yourself.’ He struggled against Digby’s efforts to get to the window. Tam continued to call. Frank knew the insistent barking would bring someone from the house. He hoped it would be Millie.

  Suddenly the barking ceased. Pushing Digby behind him, Frank glanced out of the window. James Odling was by the door. He was holding Tam, who had instinctively quietened on the appearance of his master. Frank waited for the expected knock; the game was up.

  ‘Frank, can I come in?’ Odling called.

  ‘Er – it’s a bit messy in here, Mr Odling,’ Frank replied. ‘Shall I come out instead?’

  ‘Just as you like.’

  Frank cautioned Digby to be still and silent. Then he emerged from the cabin, quickly closing the door behind him and expecting any second the tell-tale sound from his collie which would bring their dismissal.

  ‘I don’t know what my dog finds so interesting in there,’ Odling began. ‘Can you throw any light on it?’

  ‘No, Mr Odling. Perhaps it’s the presence of somebody new in his garden that he objects to?’

  ‘He doesn’t object, does he?’ Odling countered. ‘Look at him! He’s fascinated by you.’ Tam was snuffling Frank’s clothes with the greatest gusto.

  Frank forced a laugh, not knowing what else to do. From the corner of his eye he spotted Millie coming to join them and hoped for a miracle. Tam started to paw and scratch at the cabin door.

  ‘He just can’t wait to see what’s inside,’ Odling went on. ‘There’s some mystery. Come on, Frank. You must know. What is it?’

  Frank took a deep breath. It was no use. Millie could do nothing to prevent the inevitable. ‘He can sense his brother’s in there,’ he explained, and immediately felt a tremendous relief.

  ‘What? His brother? What are you talking about?’

  ‘It’s Digby,’ Millie called as she came up. ‘Frank has Digby in the shack, Digby’s Frank’s dog now.’

  Odling’s mouth dropped open and he gaped silently at his daughter. Then he pulled himself together. ‘I don’t know what’s been going on behind my back,’ he said angrily, ‘but I want some explanations.’

  Without a word Frank re-entered the cabin and led Digby outside. The two dogs jumped and leapt around each other uttering strange little cries of pleasure and recognition as they inspected one another with the most searching sniffs. Odling watched in amazement while Millie laughed joyfully and knelt to join in the fun.

  ‘This is quite incredible,’ Odling said. He had forgotten momentarily, in his surprise, that Frank had deceived him. ‘Where did you find him?’

  Frank explained, leaving nothing out, including the bond he had felt between himself and Digby from the very beginning.

  ‘A strange story,�
� Odling commented, when he had finished. ‘But the fact remains, Frank, that I told you at the outset there were to be no dogs. You’ve deliberately flouted that condition. My requirement, however, remains the same. We need a full-time gardener. We don’t need a second dog on the premises.’

  Frank was silent.

  ‘What shall it be, then?’ Odling asked, ignoring Millie who was trying to interrupt. ‘You’ve settled in well here. I’m quite happy for you to stay on, but Digby must go. I took him to the Dogs’ Home myself before we moved here. I didn’t expect to see him again and this is all rather upsetting. But there must be many other people willing to give him a good home.’

  Millie was horrified. She looked from Frank’s miserable face to her father’s stern one. ‘Daddy, you can’t! You can’t make Frank do that,’ she blurted out. ‘He loves Digby. Oh, Daddy, Digby’s been no trouble, has he? You didn’t know he was here at all until just now. You can’t be so horrible!’

  ‘It’s all right, Millie,’ Frank intervened before Odling could reply. ‘Your father’s quite right. I’ve broken his trust. I’m the one to blame, because I should never have come here.’ He looked at the other man. ‘I’m sorry for this upset, Mr Odling. I can’t be parted from Digby again. We’ll go. I’ll get my things together.’

  ‘Oh no! No!’ Millie protested in obvious distress. ‘Don’t let him, Daddy. Digby was ours once. Look at Tam. He’s overjoyed.’

  ‘You needn’t go straight away,’ James Odling said hurriedly. ‘You can stay on here until you’ve found somewhere else. I mean,’ he added awkwardly, realizing the only other option for Frank was to return to living rough, ‘a – a flat or something. I wouldn’t want you to be forced back on to the streets because of me. If you prefer to find another job where you can keep Digby, that’s fine by me. Whatever you think best.’ He put his arm round his daughter. ‘I’m sorry, Millie. But you must remember how it was before with the two dogs. It was just too much. I’ll do what I can to help Frank, I promise.’

  Millie took heart. Frank and Digby were not to be banished immediately. She had time to get to work on her father, who might be persuaded over the next day or two, especially if she enlisted her mother’s help. And her mother still didn’t know about Digby. ‘I must tell Mummy!’ she said, and ran off.

  The two men looked at each other unhappily. ‘I’m sorry, Frank,’ said Odling.

  ‘Don’t be,’ Frank answered. ‘I’m sorry I tricked you.’

  Odling shrugged. He caught hold of Tam’s collar and separated the collies. Frank saw the simple action as symbolic. Odling and Tam went back into the house, and Frank sighed. He knew he would have to put Digby back in the Dogs’ Home. Frank couldn’t provide him with a proper home and he owed it to Digby to give him a better chance next time round than he had brought him.

  For the rest of the evening Frank sat in the cabin that was no longer his and brooded. He had no intention of staying on as gardener when he had taken Digby back to the Dogs’ Home. He felt it would be a kind of treachery. Besides, seeing Tam day after day would be a constant reminder of his banished pet. He didn’t know where he could go from here. But go he would – and soon.

  The next day Millie brought Tam into the garden as soon as she got home from school. Frank had finished off a job in the garden which he didn’t want to leave half done and was in the middle of collecting his few clothes and belongings together. He meant to leave by stealth at night without a further word. He closed the cabin door as he saw Millie approaching and went to meet her. She was smiling broadly.

  ‘It’ll be all right, Frank, I know it will,’ she said. ‘Daddy’s not made of stone and I’ve got Mummy on my side already.’

  Frank refrained from comment. He fetched Digby and he and Millie watched the two dogs waltzing around each other like two puppies, uttering their little cries of delight.

  ‘They’re talking to each other,’ Millie cried.

  Frank managed a half-hearted laugh. ‘Well, they have a lot to tell one another,’ he said.

  It was a warm, sunny evening. The dogs chased up and down, gambolling across the lawn and crashing in and out of the undergrowth until they were tired out. Then they lay down together, side by side, their tongues lolling, in a patch of shade under the rhododendrons.

  ‘Life has been so dull since you left.’ Tam told his brother. ‘This is more than I ever hoped for. I couldn’t understand what happened to you. That awful day when the master came back without you!’

  ‘Awful,’ Digby repeated, and shuddered. ‘I was lucky to have a friend in the compound who managed to keep me calm.’

  ‘You always had a jangly tendency,’ Tam chided him affectionately.

  ‘It’s been my undoing, hasn’t it? But here we are together again. It’s so wonderful. I still can’t believe it.’

  ‘Oh, I scented you as soon as I got close to your master,’ cried Tam. ‘I couldn’t get to you. It was so infuriating. I made their lives a misery, I think, with my complaints.’

  ‘Well, that’s nothing. I’ve had my share of suffering,’ Digby told his brother. ‘Wait till you hear what I’ve been through.’

  ‘Tell me, tell me,’ begged Tam. ‘I want to know everything.’

  ‘You shall. But not now. Don’t let’s spoil the moment. We have plenty of time. And they’re coming to fetch us again.’

  17

  As soon as it was quite quiet in the house, Frank led Digby into the dark garden. In his left hand he carried the holdall with everything he owned in it. Minutes later they were on the road to the railway arch. Frank left no note of explanation. He knew Millie would be upset by his departure and he was sorry for it. But now he could think only of the awful separation to come.

  Digby trotted along happily, enjoying the night air. He believed he was simply out for a walk. When they reached the railway arch and Frank began to bed down, Digby was ready for a night under the stars. He would have been content to spend every night in this way so long as Frank was with him. For, marvellous as it was to be reunited with Tam, Digby would leave him without hesitation if Frank demanded it. The two companions fell asleep, wrapped up together in a rough blanket.

  The dread morning arrived, and they were on their way again at an early hour. Digby was puzzled as he recognized the route to the compound, and began to pull on the lead. He wanted to get past the spot quickly. Frank mistook his anxiety for a surprising eagerness to reach the Dogs’ Home itself, and was taken aback. Had Digby really been happier there than with him? It was a chastening thought. Frank was more depressed than ever.

  They approached the entrance, and Digby pulled harder still. As they stopped by the outer door the collie suddenly sensed that something was wrong, and when they went through the door and into the yard he started to panic. The smells were horribly familiar. Frank tried in vain to calm him. By the time they were inside reception, Digby was beside himself. Frank felt nothing but loathing for his own actions, yet he was convinced there was no alternative. He simply wanted to get the awful admission procedures over as quickly as he could and get out of there.

  While the business was done he was in a daze, conscious only of Digby’s fright. When Digby had been led away and Frank was outside in the street again, he had no idea what to do, nor where to go. He felt utterly friendless. It seemed to him that this betrayal – the betrayal of Digby’s loyalty and love – was the worst thing he had ever done. And it was no solace to think that Digby would in the end live a happier and more comfortable life. Frank felt a new and terrible loneliness, which blocked out all other feelings.

  Frank’s disappearance wasn’t noticed at Rothesay House until late afternoon. Mrs Odling told Millie on her return from school that he hadn’t been seen all day, and she had assumed he had gone looking for other employment. Millie was at once suspicious.

  ‘Is he there now? Have you been to look?’ she demanded. She rushed into the garden with Tam who, of course, ran straight to the cabin. Millie’s cries brought her mother running.r />
  ‘He’s gone! Digby’s gone!’ the girl was wailing. ‘Look – the key’s in the door. Frank’s taken all his things and left! Oh – why did Daddy have to drive him out?’

  ‘He didn’t drive him out,’ Mrs Odling corrected her at once, ‘and you know it. Daddy was quite fair about it. There was no need for Frank to leave like this without a word. Whatever possessed him?’

  ‘He’s gone,’ Millie repeated tearfully. ‘He won’t be back. Don’t you see?’ She was devastated. Her plan to persuade her father that Digby should stay for Tam’s sake was in ruins. She hadn’t even begun to try.

  ‘He’s a very silly young man,’ Mrs Odling was saying. ‘We owe him almost a week’s wages. I can’t believe he won’t come back for that. He must need it.’

  ‘He won’t, he won’t come back,’ Millie sobbed. ‘I know he won’t. And we’ll never be able to find him again.’

  Inside the Dogs’ Home the afternoon sun shone into Digby’s pen. Digby lay on the concrete floor, trembling visibly. His misery was total. He had been abandoned again, and this time by the person he trusted above all others. A bowl of food lay untouched to one side. Number One was yelling for attention, just as he always did when the visitors arrived. Digby raised his head slightly. He felt a pang of regret for Number One, who apparently had no hope of ever being selected. That brought him back to the realization that somebody else would in all likelihood select himself, as they had before. Digby couldn’t bear the thought of more strangers, more unhappiness . . . and for what? So that, after a short period of time, he would find himself back here again? He sighed deeply and rested his head on his paws.

  Then something made him sharply alert again. Among the medley of barks objecting to Number One’s endless boasts was one well-remembered voice. Chip! Digby perked up just a little. There was no Streak in the neighbouring pen to cheer him up but, listening to Chip’s remonstrances, Digby didn’t feel quite so alone.